​While the City of Halifax has the intelligence to remove the statue of Edward Cornwallis, the City of Ottawa moves deeper into Canada’s practice of genocide against the Algonquin Anishinaabeg.

As many people know there has been a long-time effort to Free the Falls and Save the Islands located in the Ottawa River just upstream from Canada's Parliament buildings. Chaudière Falls and Chaudière, Albert, and Victoria Islands are an ancient sacred meeting place where Creator placed the First Sacred Pipe within the land and waterscape, the ultimate symbol and ritual of reconciliation.

Many supportive people have worked hard to have this sacred place restored, re-naturalized, and preserved as the sacred place it is. At one time this support also included the National Capital Commission and the City of Ottawa. Despite this, and within the context of the Liberal government's rhetoric of "reconciliation" corporate power and the economic paradigm are moving forward with the continued onslaught of Indigenous rights and Indigenous sacred places.

Although it is said the Tsilhoqot’in decision ushered in a new paradigm of the need for Indigenous consent versus consultation, on December 15, 2017, the Government of Canada approved a series of land transfers between the National Capital Commission, Public Services and Procurement Canada, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, and Windmill Dream Zibi for lands on the islands. This Crown land transfer happened without the consent of the larger Algonquin Nation, which includes the status and the non-status in both of the provinces living in Quebec and Ontario.

Regardless of this lack of Algonquin consent, as of February 5th, 2018 the Ontario Land Registry identifies Windmill Dream Zibi Ontario Inc. as owners of parcels of land on Chaudière Island and Albert Island.

What makes this worse is the City of Ottawa is currently in the process of constructing nine kilometres of parkland along the Ottawa River that they will name “The Sir John A. Macdonald Riverfront Park”. Why can’t Ottawa be as smart as Halifax?

Inspired by Dalhousie student and ally to Indigenous people Masuma Khan; it is my thought that, “Reconciliation can kiss my ass!”

​Lynn Gehl, Ph.D. is an Algonquin Anishinaabe-kwe from the Ottawa River Valley. In 2017 she won an Ontario Court of Appeal case on sex discrimination in The Indian Act, and is an outspoken critic of the Algonquin land claims process. Recently she published Claiming Anishinaabe: Decolonizing the Human Spirit. You can reach her through, and see more of her work, at www.lynngehl.com

I am not indigenous but would rather see those islands restored as a sacred place, re-naturalized and under the care of Indigenous people than be handed over to capitalist version of 'greening' with condos.
Are there still petitions and protests currently or planned by the Indigenous community. (I found this on the net and it implies Indigenous leaders have signed on to 'partner' with Windmill Zibi. ) http://www.windmilldevelopments.com/2017/04/partnership-with-algonquin-anishinabe-delivers-on-promised-jobs-at-zibi/

Reply

Colin

4/28/2018 02:18:10 pm

I too would like it to be recognized and kept as sacred but, assuming the media brief is accurate, this is rapidly becoming a site sacred in another perverse sense, i.e., to Ottawa developers and to capital locally and generally. It would be wrong to condemn those who have signed on for jobs: this is a disappointing fact but understandable given their economic situation and the colonial reality currently imposed on them. I could say a lot more, but one part of the problem lies, in my opinion, on the naivety of non-indigenous individuals and groups who simply haven't understood politically what is going on, or if they have, have not been able to come up with a coherent strategy or alternative.
It may be that the struggle is not over, but then the question remains: who is going to lead or initiate it with the political smarts and courage needed?

Reply

Lynn Gehl

4/28/2018 06:47:26 pm

Colin,

This situation is a settler government issue and a settler issue. Too many people think this is an Algonquin issue. This is not the case.

Marie Lloyd

5/13/2018 06:38:33 am

Having met Grandfather Commanda during the work to stop Frontenac Mining from tearing apart unceded Anishinaabe land (Ardoch Algonquin) ,I was very powerfully affected by his presence. I wrote him and bonded with him (don't know another term for my situation). My son and I drove from Kingston to Kitigan Zibi when he died. I've made trips to Parliament Hill with others gathering to preserve Asinabka, donated, brought my granddaughter to hear Douglas Cardinal speak in Ottawa, got arrested at the Tar Sands Action on the Hill...active against Kinder Morgan, walked with The Freedom Train West Coast tribes on Enbridge in Toronto...the government's ongoing unrelenting betrayal is huge. It has changed shape not because of its shame or repentance but because of the preferences of the masters of settler colonization.It
is the same as ever, just shape-shifting. Not less nor more devastating because the devastation is forever total.
I am a settler.